This is an interesting match-up. It's the top-2 centres in hockey right now versus the best top-4 defence in hockey. But it's also arguably the worst defence among all playoff teams vs. the worst centre depth among playoff teams (due to injuries in both cases).

I wouldn't mind seeing Nashville win this thing, although I don't really care about the outcome. The only reason I say Nashville is to hear all those people in Montreal ripping the PK - Weber trade all over again.

I wouldn't mind seeing Nashville win this thing, although I don't really care about the outcome. The only reason I say Nashville is to hear all those people in Montreal ripping the PK - Weber trade all over again.

Yeah I'd love to see PK win it. But Phil being a 2-time Stanley Cup Champion and Evgeni "not a top-100 player" Malkin matching Toews in rings would be nice too. Especially if Malkin gets his 2nd Conn Smythe.

I wouldn't mind seeing Nashville win this thing, although I don't really care about the outcome. The only reason I say Nashville is to hear all those people in Montreal ripping the PK - Weber trade all over again.

Yeah I'd love to see PK win it. But Phil being a 2-time Stanley Cup Champion and Evgeni "not a top-100 player" Malkin matching Toews in rings would be nice too. Especially if Malkin gets his 2nd Conn Smythe.

That's an interesting one. Obviously Sid/Malkin are the CS frontrunners for the Pens but the Preds? Rinne, I suppose, and maybe Forsberg? They've sort of done it really collectively.

edit: Also, I thought Kane's inclusion on the top 100 list was more questionable vs. Malkin but there you go. Either way, what a bogus list.

That's an interesting one. Obviously Sid/Malkin are the CS frontrunners for the Pens but the Preds? Rinne, I suppose, and maybe Forsberg? They've sort of done it really collectively.

Rinne's currently 12-4 with a .941 Sv% and 1.70 GAA. Like you said their defence collectively deserves a ton of credit for that but if those numbers hold at all he's definitely their candidate.

Yeah, I guess my thing with Rinne(and I will flat-out state I haven't seen all, most or even a significant chunk of their games) is that he's never really had one of those eyepopping numbers games. He's faced 25 or fewer saves 4 times, 30 or fewer 7 and made 35 saves once. This might be a situation where SV% in a small sample is a little misleading.

A side of this matchup that I don't think has sufficiently been appreciated is that it's a epic battle between Long Narrow(ish) States.

That prompted me to look up when's the last time the Cup was contested between two cities as close together as these two and although the answer was a little disappointing 10 Nik points to whoever can tell me the closest two cities playing for the Cup can be in the modern NHL.

That prompted me to look up when's the last time the Cup was contested between two cities as close together as these two and although the answer was a little disappointing 10 Nik points to whoever can tell me the closest two cities playing for the Cup can be in the modern NHL.

Chicago vs. Philly would be my guess.

Detroit when they were in the West would be another team likely to be half of that. Detroit vs. Carolina or New Jersey.

That prompted me to look up when's the last time the Cup was contested between two cities as close together as these two and although the answer was a little disappointing 10 Nik points to whoever can tell me the closest two cities playing for the Cup can be in the modern NHL.

Chicago vs. Philly would be my guess.

Nah. Philly's at the Eastern end of Pennsylvania. Pittsburgh's much closer. Not Pittsburgh/Chicago though.

Yeah, I guess my thing with Rinne(and I will flat-out state I haven't seen all, most or even a significant chunk of their games) is that he's never really had one of those eyepopping numbers games. He's faced 25 or fewer saves 4 times, 30 or fewer 7 and made 35 saves once. This might be a situation where SV% in a small sample is a little misleading.

That prompted me to look up when's the last time the Cup was contested between two cities as close together as these two and although the answer was a little disappointing 10 Nik points to whoever can tell me the closest two cities playing for the Cup can be in the modern NHL.

Chicago vs Detroit is the closest possibility with the current alignment. Pittsburgh vs Detroit woudl be the closest in recent history.

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"Everyone is entitled to his own opinion, but not his own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan